Musings of a modern day Stoic...
This is a daily journal on life, the Universe and everything from a practicing Stoic woman's perspective.

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Friday, September 23, 2011

To be a Horse or not to be a Horse

This morning's reading was a passage from Epictetus about being true to our individual nature. So this is the challenge in our modern world. To find out what makes us truly ourselves and to do that. So many of us are birds trying to be horses or horses trying to be dogs...

What makes us uniquely US and how do we bring that to the world?

Our roles in life change with time and life's seasons. Mothering was a priority in my life for the past 20+ years and now, although I will always be a mother, that role has taken a back seat with my children growing into adulthood and carving out their own lives. My role of wife is back to the forefront of my priorities, that is easy to do, but the role of ME also has to be brought back to the front. I need to start taking a starring role in my life once again. I need to figure out what makes me tick, what is my "best" self, and start nurturing that person's growth again. Making that growth a priority again so that I can enrich my life, my family and the world around me with my individual gifts. I know that bringing this ancient wisdom back from the shadows of obscurity and academia is a shared goal with Michel. While accomplishing this goal I have a unique viewpoint to discuss, that of a Stoic Woman in our modern society. Although I am a firm proponent of equality between men and women, I do personally feel that there are innate differences in how the two sexes view life, etc. One of my main goals in my life moving forward is to represent the point-of-view of a modern woman approaching life from a Stoic's purpose and outlook.

I know that I excel at keeping a house and making it a home. I excel at hospitality also. These skills are definitely part of my stoic outlook moving forward. Living according to Nature is the Stoic ideal. This to me encourages me to make efforts to become self-sufficient and moving back to basics where diet and household management are concerned. Keeping the stoic ideals in mind involves planning gardens for next year, ensuring that we are nurturing and embracing nature's bounty. The focus on living a life in harmony with nature involves taking the necessity for workspace and storage into consideration for the home renovations also. The need for an alternative heat source in the winter is part of our requirements for living as self-sufficient as possible. Using our suburban lot effectively and ensuring that an esthetic and peaceful calm is also built into the designs.

It seems that I need to be a designer. I need to take on the role of architect/designer for my life and home. This is the adventure for the next little while. Wish me luck as I document this journey! :)